Quietly Iconic: Our Apprenticeship Journey in South Dakota
When the South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation launched the StartTodaySD Registered Apprenticeship initiative in 2018, our founder Ashley Kingdon-Reese was paying attention. She recognized immediately that the program addressed something she had been trying to solve since opening Independent Health Solutions in 2014: how to build a consistent, skilled, and committed healthcare workforce in rural South Dakota.
An Early Bet on a Proven Model
In 2019, through Independent Health Solutions, LLC, Ashley joined the StartTodaySD program as a healthcare sponsor in its earliest years, committing to a model that was still proving itself across the state. It was not the easiest path. Building a Registered Apprenticeship program from the ground up requires time, coordination, and a genuine belief that investing in people pays off. Ashley believed it then, and the results have confirmed it every year since.
Over the years, that work brought her into rooms where it mattered. Ashley has had the privilege of speaking at state apprenticeship events attended by Governor Kristi Noem and now Governor Larry Rhoden, bringing the healthcare apprenticeship conversation to the highest levels of South Dakota leadership. It is a platform she has used consistently to advocate for the workers and employers who make these programs real.
From Sponsor to Intermediary
That early commitment, and years of showing up in every room that mattered, is what eventually led to Propelled Professionals Inc. being selected in 2024 as South Dakota's designated Intermediary for Healthcare Apprenticeships through StartTodaySD.
That designation means PPI now sits between healthcare employers and the federal registration system, handling the complexity of program development, educational coordination, and compliance monitoring so that businesses of any size can access the StartTodaySD framework without getting buried in paperwork.
The path from early sponsor to intermediary was built on years of running programs, graduating real people, and earning a position of trust within the StartTodaySD framework. It was not handed to us. It was built.
Celebrating Our Graduates
This week, during National Apprenticeship Week 2026, we celebrate every person who has been part of that journey. Our graduates have come from multiple companies, multiple roles, and multiple years. They are Community Health Workers, Home Health Aides, and Behavioral Health Aides working in homes, clinics, and communities across South Dakota, doing work that matters every single day.
We start with the graduate who set the standard for everyone who came after her.
Melissa Heath joined our program as one of our earliest apprentices. Today she is a Home Health Aide Mentor with 9 Specialties and was named Mentor of the Year by StartTodaySD. Mel came through the program, earned her credential, and then turned around and gave that same opportunity to everyone who came after her. Every graduate we celebrate today is, in many ways, a reflection of what she built.
Our recent graduates include:
Gabby, Home Health Aide.
Hailey, Community Health Worker.
Jasmine, Behavioral Health Aide.
And graduating this week during National Apprenticeship Week 2026:
Paw, Community Health Worker.
Parker, Home Health Aide.
Cooper, Home Health Aide.
To every graduate who has come through our programs, at every company, in every role: you are the reason this work has always been worth it.
Is Your Business Next?
We are actively looking for South Dakota businesses ready to invest in their people through the Registered Apprenticeship Program. Whether you are starting from scratch or exploring your options, PPI is here to help you build a program that works for your industry and your team. We walk alongside every sponsor from day one, and our technical assistance is completely free.
We currently offer pre-apprenticeship programs in roles including Safety Coordinator, Personal Care Aide, and Restorative Aide, among others.
If your workforce needs something different, we can build it. That is part of what we do.
Ten years of groundwork. A lifetime of purpose. And we are just getting started.
Reach out to us today and let's talk about what apprenticeships can do for your business.
📍 375 Dakota Ave S, Suite 101 Dakota Plaza, Huron, SD 57350 📞 605.554.3311 🌐 propelledpros.com
Propelled Professionals Inc. is a Registered Apprenticeship Intermediary through StartTodaySD, serving employers and workers across South Dakota.
About Propelled Professionals Inc. Propelled Professionals Inc. is an occupational health and workforce development agency based in Huron, South Dakota. As South Dakota's designated Intermediary for Healthcare Apprenticeships through StartTodaySD, PPI works with healthcare employers of all sizes to develop and support Registered Apprenticeship Programs that build skilled, loyal workforces and strengthen South Dakota communities. PPI's services also include OSHA compliance assistance, workplace safety training, health screenings, drug testing, CPR and first aid certification, and continuing education. Business is Excelled when Your Team is Propelled.
About Independent Health Solutions Independent Health Solutions is a trusted provider of in-home healthcare services for elderly individuals, people with disabilities, and those living with chronic illness in South Dakota. IHS is committed to promoting health, safety, and independence for the patients it serves, and to investing in the caregivers who make that mission possible every day.
📍 Huron, SD 🌐 independenthealthsd.com